Galvanizing sheet metal.



Wiknaases OJ. .m@m&% MI W" A. NIEDRINGHAUS. GALVANIZING SHEET METAL. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1909.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

5 inventor:

- Alexander Niadringhaus ALEXANDER, NIEDRINGHAUS, or sun LOUISVMISSOURI.

GALVANIZING SHEET METAL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

Application filed mien 11, 1909'. Serial No. 482,770.

To all whom it may concern.

Be 1t known that I, ALEXANDER NIEDRING- anus, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gal vanlzing Sheet Metal, of which the follow- Jug is a full, clear, and exact description,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinalsection through a galvanizing kettle; Fig. 2 is a detail view, illustrating a sheet of metal to be galvanized; Figs. 3 to 6 are modified forms of connections between the sheet.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in galvanizing or coating sheet metal, the object being to connect the several sheets of metal to be galvanized,-so as to form a train of sheets. By so connecting the sheets it is possible to economically galvanizethinner sheets of metal than have heretofore been galvanized, and by using thin metal it is possible to work up such thin metal into articles, and use it for purposes and in a manner which has heretofore been considered impracticable.

I do not wish, by the above statement, to

be understood as excluding the utility of my invention in connection with thicker sheets of metal, because thicker sheets of metal can be handled in the manner herein contemplated. The thicker sheets, however, can be separately handled in the bath as they are stiff enough to be inserted through the resisting molten metal without crumpling, whereas with. the thinner sheets the difficulty is to get the thin sheet down into and through the resisting molten metal constituting the galvanizing bath without crumpli'ng or buckling it.

WVhere the sheets are galvanized and Wound together in reel form, they, of course, can be separated by severing the several sheets at their points of connection.

In the drawing, 1 indicates the alvanizing kettle, containing the galvanizing bath. The kettle is heated in the usual way'by fuel therebetween and a brick wall 3.

4 and 5 are the feed rollers for feeding the sheets to the kettle, said sheets being dewhich are fiected by the fingers 6 into and through the flux box 7. The sheets are'guided through the bath of molten metal by guide bars 13 and between squeezingrollers 8 and 9. Deflecting fingers 10 direct the galvanized sheet onto a conveyer 12 where it is permitted to cool.

The sheets of metal '14 to be galvanized are preferably arranged in a pile or connected together on a reel, in a box 15, near the feed end of the kettle. This box contains the acid bath. Each sheet is provided with means for connecting it .to another sheet. The means, as shown in Fig. 2, consists of ton ues 14 on one end of the sheet,

esigned to be received in openings 14 in the end of an adjacent sheet, each sheet being provided with such tongues and openings, in its ends respectively.

In operation it is preferable to start the train with a heavy sheet in order to establish continuity of the sheets between the rollers and the feed and discharge ends of the machine. This heavy sheetis provided with attaching means at its rear end, and in starting the train, the heavy sheet is first introduced into and through the lead bath, the thickness of the sheet making it stifi' enough to be pushed down into and through the kettle, where its front end may be caught by the squeezing rollers at the discharge end of the machine. A single sheet is long enough to thus extend through the kettle and have both its ends projecting. It is, of course, possible to start thin sheets through the rollers and guide bars by raising these parts out of the bath and lowering them after train of sheets is in position. The tongues on the end of the thin sheet on top of the pile are now fitted in position in the openings in the rear end of the first sheet. No effort need be made to fold these tongues back from sheet, as the feed rollers 4 and 5 will do this and effect a secure connection between the sheets as they pass through the bath. The sheets are thus connected, one to the other, as they are fed through the bath, and after they become cool, may be wound onto a reel in the form of a continuous sheet.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the tongue 14 folded back upon its sheet prior to the introduction of the sheet between the rollers.

ll this method of connection, it is possible to make up a train of sheets in advance of the rollers -.t and 5.

In Fig. 3 I have shown the contiguous ends of the sheets welded together, an electric welding machine being arranged with respect to the sheets as they are fed into the machine, so that the overlappin ends thereof may be welded. Of course, 1t is possible to make a butt weld between sheets, if desired.

In Fig. rivets 14".

In Fig. 6 sheets are connecteditogether by lock stem l-l While I have described my invention as being applicable to galvanizing sheets of metal, it is obvious that it could be used to advantage in tinning sheets of metal and also in passing sheets of metal througha lead and tin bath in the manufacture ofterne plates. It is also obvious that instead of eonnecting the sheets together at the kettle in forming the train, the sheets can be previously connected together and rolled into 5 sheets are riveted together by reel forin from which they are fed to the bath.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The art of coating sheet metal, which consists in introducing a sheet to be coated into the kettle, connecting another sheet to be coated to the rear end of the first sheet, and so on, making a train of sheets, and Winding the coated sheets into reel form.

2. The art of coating sheet metal, which consists in' introducing a heavy sheet into the metal bath, and successively connecting thinner sheets thereto in the form of a train.

3. The art of coating sheet metal, which consists in connecting the sheets together in reel form, and feeding the train of sheets through the metal bath.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses, this 8th day of March, 1909.

' ALEXANDER NIEDRINGHAUS. lVit-nesses F. R. CORNWALL, LENORE CLARK. 

